South African grasslands and ploughing: Outlook for agricultural expansion in Africa

Slooten, Elaine; Jordaan, Eulalia; White, Joseph D.M.; Archibald, Sally; Siebert, Frances

doi:10.17159/sajs.2023/15540

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 17 publications

(27 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The importance of forbs for restoration purposes has long been neglected, despite forbs providing numerous ecosystem services [22], having medicinal qualities [23], providing forage for livestock [24], contributing to carbon sequestration [25], playing host to beneficial insects [26], and acting as grazing indicators [26]. Globally, initiatives are underway to better understand the importance of forbs within the ecosystem [24] and incorporate them into restoration plans [27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crinum bulbispermum, a Medicinal Geophyte with Phytostabilization Properties in Metal-Enriched Mine Tailings

Clarke,

Marcelo-Silva,

Claassens

et al. 2023

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ancient grasslands are lost through transformation to agriculture, mining, and urban expansion. Land-use change leads to ecosystem degradation and a subsequent loss of biodiversity. Globally, degraded grasslands have become a priority for restoration efforts to recover lost ecosystem services. Although the ecological and social benefits of woody species and grasses are well documented, limited research has considered the use of forbs for restoration purposes despite their benefits (e.g., C sequestration and medicinal uses). The aim of this study was to determine if Crinum bulbispermum (Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Schweick., a medicinal geophyte, could form part of restoration initiatives to restore mine soils in grasslands of the South African Highveld. A pot experiment was conducted to assess the performance of C. bulbispermum in a random design, with three soil treatments varying in level of degradation and metal contamination. The plants were monitored for 12 months, and the morphological characters were measured monthly to assess performance and survival. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to determine the soil and plant tissue concentration of potentially toxic metals. The results indicated that mine tailings negatively affected the growth and development of C. bulbispermum. Although the survival rates indicated that it could survive on tailings, its below-par productivity indicated that the species is not ideal for restoration purposes unless the tailings are ameliorated with topsoil. Although there was root accumulation of metals (Co, Cd, Cu, Mo, and Zn), there was no translocation to the bulbs and leaves, which makes C. bulbispermum suitable for medicinal use even when grown on metal-enriched soil. This species may not be viable for phytoremediation but is a contender to be used in phytostabilization due to its ecological advantages and the fact that it does not accumulate or store metals. These findings underscore the importance of considering geophytes in grassland restoration strategies, expanding their ecological and societal benefits beyond conventional approaches.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crinum bulbispermum, a Medicinal Geophyte with Phytostabilization Properties in Metal-Enriched Mine Tailings

Clarke,

Marcelo-Silva,

Claassens

et al. 2023

Plants

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Grassland restorations must better foster forbs to facilitate high biodiversity

Nerlekar,

Sullivan,

Brudvig

2024

Restoration Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Grassland restoration efforts typically aim to recover lost biodiversity, guided by biologically diverse old‐growth grasslands as a benchmark. In most old‐growth grasslands, forbs greatly outnumber grasses in terms of richness and therefore contribute most to diversity, but globally, restoration practitioners continue to disproportionately focus on increasing perennial grass cover. While such grass‐centric restoration approaches might be appropriate for meeting some restoration goals, an increasing number of studies reveal negative effects of perennial grass cover on forb and total plant diversity in restored grasslands—with cascading consequences for other trophic levels and grassland functionality. To that end, we urge restoration practitioners to recognize the biodiversity costs of grass‐centric approaches and embrace forb‐centric approaches to meet the goal of increasing biodiversity in restorations. Transferring knowledge between well‐studied and understudied grassland systems around the world will facilitate the shared vision of conserving and restoring global grassland biodiversity.

show abstract

South African grasslands and ploughing: Outlook for agricultural expansion in Africa

Cited by 2 publications

References 17 publications

Crinum bulbispermum, a Medicinal Geophyte with Phytostabilization Properties in Metal-Enriched Mine Tailings

Crinum bulbispermum, a Medicinal Geophyte with Phytostabilization Properties in Metal-Enriched Mine Tailings

Grassland restorations must better foster forbs to facilitate high biodiversity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About